


Together.

by WhatTheWentz



Category: Class (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Guilt, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Not A Happy Ending, Post-Episode: s01e08 The Lost, Spoilers, Survivor Guilt, other stuff i cant think to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-03
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-09-06 05:12:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8736157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhatTheWentz/pseuds/WhatTheWentz
Summary: Set after Charlie uses the Cabinet and April wakes up in Corakinus' body.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this because Charlie needs a hug to be honest.

_ “Why are you all looking at me like that?”  _ April asked, as if she didn’t have a clue what was going on.

 

It should’ve relieved Charlie to see her alive, in any form, but instead it filled him with immense dread.  Nothing was fixed; Ram’s dad and Tanya’s mum were both still dead, he still had an entire species’ worth of blood on his hands and he couldn’t escape the memory of his own hands shooting April point-blank.

 

Ram crawled over to April’s dead body, his eyes wandering between it and Corakinus’ living one, “No, no, no…” he mumbled, his voice still choked with tears before he turned back to Charlie, “What did you do to her?”

 

Charlie blinked a couple of times, his gaze unfocused, “I-I--”

 

“Ram, it’s oka--” she broke off when she saw her own body, “Oh, my God.”   
  


Charlie had always wondered if it was possible for the Shadowkin to cry,  their appearances made of shadow and fire -- it was.  The smoky figure lifted her own corpse and sobbed into it,  and Charlie felt a twang of horror in his heart.

 

This was his fault -- he should’ve died on that day in Rhodia, then none of this would have happened.  They would be safe.

 

Ram looked utterly broken as he got to his feet, brushing himself off, “I’ve gotta… I have t-to tell my mum.”

 

“Ram!” Shadow-April pleaded.

 

He held up a hand, refusing to look at her, “No, A-April.  I’ve got to go.”

 

Then, he sprinted out of the hall, slamming the door behind him.  Tanya rose to her feet, her eyes filled with not grief, but rage.  It all seemed too hauntingly familiar to Charlie, he had seen the same look every day in Miss Quill’s eyes.

 

“I’m going to check on my brothers.” she stated monotonously, “Don’t follow me.  I’ll be fine.”

 

She stormed out, leaving the other four shocked in her wake, April still cradling her own body in her arms.

 

She looked up after a while, “Tell my mum I’m sorry, yeah?”

 

“April…” Matteusz tilted his head, “What are you doing?”

 

She shook her -- or Corakinus’ -- head, “Mum can’t see me like this.   So I’ll do what shadows should do.  I’ll disappear.”

 

With that, her body dissipated into a black wispy smoke and disappeared into the shadow of the room.  Only Charlie, Matteusz and Miss Quill remained, all staring at April’s dead body and trying to figure out what had happened.

 

After a couple of minutes, Miss Quill got up, “Well anyway, Charles.  I’d kick your self-righteous arse but it looks like you’ll be doing that yourself.  Ta-ta!” she waved before picking up her gun and walking out.

 

A silence fell between Charlie and Matteusz as the former tried to wrangle his emotions; he had lost everything,  _ everyone  _ he loved in the matter of a couple of hours.  There was no way to rectify this, no way to fix it.

 

He was a murderer.

 

He could feel the blood sticking to his hands, the shadow that had fallen over his heart.  He deserved to die.  Killers deserved justice.

 

Matteusz shuffled closer and rested a hand on his arm, “You alr--” he broke off, knowing it was a stupid question.

 

There was no way, not in a million years, that he was ever going to be okay.  No amount of love could wash away what he’d done; what he’d lost.  April might not have been dead, but he had damned her to a life where she might as well had been, Ram’s dad, Tanya’s mum, every Shadowkin, the list kept growing.

 

Matteusz feared him, rightfully so.

 

Although he also knew that Charlie had no choice in the matter, and if not for Quill, would’ve committed suicide.  Now  _ that,  _ that was what scared Matteusz the most.  Losing Charlie.

 

“This is my fault.” Charlie stated, a tear rolling down his cheek.

 

His self-deprecating inner monologue cursed him; he didn’t deserve to grieve.  He should’ve been dead.

 

Matteusz sighed, his own mind reeling from the heartbreaks of the day, “Tell me how to fix this.”

 

“You can’t.” Charlie replied, the two most simple words now having the power to tear apart Matteusz’ heart, “I did a bad thing.”

 

Matteusz nodded, “Yes.  You did.  But you were forced to.”

 

“I’ve lost you.” Charlie whispered, “And I deserve it.  You should run as fast as you can from me.”

 

Matteusz shook his head, “No.  I made promise to you, remember?  I intend to keep it.”

 

“Promises just get you hurt.” Charlie said, and his focus turned to April’s body once more, “Or killed.”   
  


Matteusz reached out and cupped Charlie’s cheek, “She isn’t dead.”   
  


“She might as well be.” Charlie retorted, pulling away, “Matteusz, stop defending me!”   
  


Matteusz said, “I’m not.  You fucked up but guess what?  We all do!”   
  


“Not on a genocidal scale!” Charlie shouted, “I killed--” he broke off, unable to complete the sentence without breaking down, “I should be dead.”

 

The other said, “Well, you aren’t.  You don’t get to die, as Miss Quill said.  You live with it.”   
  


“I don’t think I can.” Charlie said before bowing his head into his knees.

 

It took a few minutes for Matteusz to realise that Charlie was gently crying, his form shaking slightly.  Unable to stay mad or upset at him, Matteusz wrapped his arms around Charlie’s torso.  It was an awkward, slightly painful position, but he had to do everything he could to help.

 

Eventually, Charlie’s form loosened, and he turned to weep into Matteusz’s shoulder instead of his knees.   The trembles in his form turned into tremors as he hiccuped apologies between hysterical sobs.

 

“I know, I know…” Matteusz said, holding on to his boyfriend tightly, as if he would slip through his fingers otherwise, “I love you.  No matter what.  And I’m here.  You won’t lose me.”

 

Hours passed, and eventually the two decided to return home.  Matteusz had phoned the police, hating leaving April’s body, but he knew that if he and Charlie remained, they’d be questions.  Questions neither one could answer.

 

When they entered the house, it felt colder, detached.  Empty.   Charlie turned to Matteusz and touched his cheek.

 

“You can stay here.” he offered, “I just… I don’t think I can do this alone.”

 

Matteusz gave the faintest hint of a smile, “You are not alone.  You will never  _ be  _ alone.”   
  


He stepped forward, gently pressing his lips to Charlie’s for the first time in what felt like an eternity.  Charlie’s arms wound around his neck as he kissed back, all his emotions pouring into the gesture.

 

Matteusz’s hands rested on his hip and back, pulling him closer, his mind spinning with the thought that Charlie almost left him.

 

He had never needed someone so much before and yet, here Charlie was, a lifeline, something to cling onto in the chaos of the world.

 

When they broke away, both were gently crying from the overwhelming cataclysm that was their feelings.  Throughout it all, their love had prevailed and whatever consequences they would face would never tear them down.

 

“That was overdue.” Charlie laughed softly, allowing himself to have a single, brief moment of something other than agony.

  
Matteusz pressed his forehead to Charlie’s and promised, “We’ll get through this, together.  We’ll find a way.”

**Author's Note:**

> leave kudos/comment etc.
> 
> It's been a great season one, and I really hope we get a season two.


End file.
